(SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) - Acting Utah Attorney General Brian Tarbet is asking the Federal Trade Commission to lead a nationwide investigation into patent trolls. Tarbet and 42 other attorneys general sent a letter to the FTC today asking the agency to stop the baseless claims of patent infringement that are used to extract fees or settlements from consumers.

“These patent trolls pose a high risk to the development of small business and innovation,” said Tarbet. “This is a national problem and we need the FTC to help stop it.”

Consumers, small businesses and non-profit agencies are often targeted by patent trolls because they have purchased or used off-the-shelf commercial products that rely on common, everyday technology. These products include printers, scanners or wireless routers.

In early October, the FTC announced its plan to conduct a wide-ranging investigation of known patent trolls, also known as patent assertion entities. The proposed investigation would arm consumer protection authorities with valuable intelligence as they target abusers of the patent system.

Recently, a number of states have taken action against patent trolls when they run afoul of state consumer protection and unfair trade practice laws. Although much has been discovered through investigating specific patent troll entities, the business structure and operating methods of other such entities remain unclear.